Farewell to the Master

Lore & Background

The story is told from the viewpoint of Cliff Sutherland, a freelance picture reporter, who is present when a mysterious "curving ovoid" ship suddenly appears on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Two days later, "visitors from the Unknown" emerge: a "god-like" person in human form and an 8-foot (2.44 m) tall robot made of green metal. The former only manages to state "I am Klaatu and this is Gnut" before he is shot and killed by a lunatic. Klaatu is buried nearby. In the days that follow, Gnut remains motionless, while laboratories and a museum are built around it and the ship. Both prove impervious to the investigations of scientists.

Sutherland discovers that the robot enters the ship each night when no one is watching, emerging to resume its position for the day. Gnut is aware of the reporter, but ignores him. After several odd encounters, Sutherland informs the world what he has learned. Gnut is encased in "glasstex", finally forcing the robot's hand. It breaks out, unaffected by all attempts to destroy it, picks up Sutherland and travels to the mausoleum containing Klaatu's corpse. It opens the tomb and takes a recording of Klaatu's voice stored there. It then returns and goes inside the ship.

Sutherland daringly boards the ship before the entrance closes and learns that the robot is working on a way to create a copy of Klaatu from an audio recording of his greeting. However, the new Klaatu is flawed, because the recording is imperfect, and he dies soon after speaking with the reporter. Sutherland then suggests retrieving the original recording device to study it and discover how to compensate for its imperfections. Gnut eagerly adopts this idea. Sutherland arranges for the equipment to be brought to it. As the robot prepares to depart, Sutherland impresses upon it the need to tell its master, the Klaatu yet to come, that his death was a terrible accident. Gnut replies, "You misunderstand, I am the master."

Reader's Guide

The novelette "Farewell to the Master" is significant as the source material for the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still, though the film adaptation was loose. The story's twist ending—that the robot Gnut, not the humanoid Klaatu, is the master—has become a notable example of a reversal in science fiction. The story has been anthologized multiple times, appearing in collections such as Adventures in Time and Space (1946) and Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 2 (1940) (1979). In 1973, Marvel Comics adapted the story for its Worlds Unknown series, which Gizmodo noted was more faithful to the original than the 1951 film. Arthur Tofte wrote and published a novel expansion in 1976. The story's legacy includes its exploration of themes such as misunderstanding between species and the true nature of intelligence and authority.

Did You Know?

• The story was first published in Astounding Science Fiction in October 1940.
• The original story featured three illustrations by American artist Frank Kramer.
• The robot Gnut is 8 feet (2.44 m) tall and made of green metal.
• The 1973 Marvel Comics adaptation was considered more faithful to the original story than the 1951 film.